"What do you plan to do with them?" Mimic asked.
"I intend to launch an assault on Tyron II. There's a resistance force there. I can't just abandon them," Qin Mo replied.
"And Tyron III?"
"That cesspool of a planet is beyond saving."
"Indeed. Even I think they're a lost cause."
For a being like Mimic—a star god—to deem Tyron III beyond hope, the situation there must be dire indeed.
"I don't have time for idle chatter. I'll be going now," Qin Mo said, having learned what he needed, and prepared to exit the dream.
As Qin Mo turned to leave, Mimic called after him, "You can trust another star god for now, but never trust one forever. That's a lesson I've gleaned from an eternity of existence—one that applies to both you and me."
Qin Mo paused to regard Mimic. Before departing the dream, he answered, "Who do you think taught me that?"
In the next moment, Qin Mo opened his eyes, no longer in the dream, but back in the subterranean caverns beneath his research base. This dreamscape was clearly one of Mimic's special abilities; the being had certainly kept some cards hidden.
Everything Mimic revealed left Qin Mo both skeptical and convinced in equal measure. As Mimic warned, trust should never be absolute, especially not among the star gods. Their history was steeped in betrayal and cannibalism, as they were never allies by nature.
If the scenes Mimic had shown were genuine, the first move would be to assault the shielded capital, destroy the shield, and have the warships bombard the city. After all, the forces fighting the Cult of the Lord of Wisdom on Tyron II were underground—there was no risk of harming them.
Having sketched out the general strategy, Qin Mo began drafting a more detailed battle plan.
The day the warships leave the shipyards will be the day the war begins.
Once the Hive City declared a state of war, all ground forces and warship crews would be transported to the orbital shipyards. The former would assemble, awaiting orders, while the latter would be dispatched to their respective vessels. The shipyards would then teleport along with the warships to Tyron II's orbit for reconnaissance before launching the assault.
The battle plan was now clear—either strike directly at the shielded cities or adapt in real-time as the situation unfolded.
With the plan set, Qin Mo returned to his research. Yet, this time, he didn't intend to sit out the entire war buried in his work. He would personally join a battle—one that could decide the fate of the entire conflict.
...
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. The warships had been completed and were now stationed in the orbital shipyards.
Even without Qin Mo's direct oversight, everyone had already begun executing his plan. Ground forces and ship crews were being transported to the shipyards.
Adam, along with other newly trained crew members, walked across the vast platforms at the base of the orbital shipyards.
It was Adam's first time here, and he marveled at his surroundings.
Overhead, logistical machines transported various supplies, while small drones with holographic capabilities hovered twenty meters above the ground, projecting colorful pathways that guided the newly arrived personnel to their destinations.
As a crew member of a cruiser, Adam followed the black path projected by the drones toward his ship, passing by the assembled ground troops.
On the platform, the soldiers were gathered into formations, their commanders addressing them.
"Remember, we are the 44th Regiment. Our Governor himself once fought within our ranks. Do not dishonor this most glorious of numbers!"
"For the Emperor! For the Governor!"
Adam also spotted the newly arrived Imperial Guard. Five of them moved along the golden path marked by the drones, drawing the attention of everyone around them.
"This is truly an unprecedented war," Adam mused as he continued forward, finally joining his fellow crew members.
Once the crew was assembled, the ship's master AI began running precise calculations to ensure each member was teleported near their assigned post on the warship.
After the teleportation, Adam and a few of his colleagues arrived in the heart of the cruiser—the bridge. But instead of a traditional command center, it resembled a dark, metallic chamber with no equipment or windows.
Along the walls were ten stasis pods.
Every crew member had undergone training, and while the time had been short, the AI had designed an optimal training program using the best teaching systems, allowing them to learn in highly realistic simulations.
Based on their performance during training, the AI had already assigned ranks and roles to each crew member. Adam, having achieved the highest scores, was designated the captain of the cruiser.
Following protocol, Adam approached the pod assigned to him. After an iris scan, the pod opened, and he stepped inside.
Once inside, the pod sealed, and the system automatically connected him to the cruiser's neural interface via his brain implant.
Adam drifted into sleep, only to awaken with his consciousness directly linked to the ship. His perspective extended beyond the cruiser's hull, allowing him to see the massive shipyards and the cruiser in its entirety.
Within his field of view, various indicators appeared—everything from the ship's structural integrity to the readiness of its systems and weapons, as well as the status of every crew member.
With the entire crew now linked to the ship, they awaited Adam's command. But he simply said, "Activate the dimensional engine. Once we receive the order, we will teleport to Tyron II's orbit."
The crew member in charge of the dimensional engine immediately complied.
The engine began drawing energy from the ship's colossal fusion reactor. Once fully charged, Adam saw the words [Dimensional Jump Ready] flash before him.
And so, he waited in silence.
Finally, Qin Mo's voice rang through the comm channels of the senior officers.
"All warships, initiate teleportation."
With a single thought, Adam commanded the ship to enter the jump.
The cruiser's colossal frame shimmered within a protective barrier, then vanished into a dimensional rift. In an instant, it reappeared above Tyron II's orbit, its massive hull solidifying as the barrier dissipated.
Two escort ships teleported to either side of the cruiser.
A larger rift followed, and the vast orbital shipyard emerged behind the fleet.
Adam surveyed the area, spotting two escort ships far in the distance, already departing Tyron III and vanishing into the warp as they left the planet behind.